Conveyance for transporting railway cars and the like by road



June 29, 1937. J. CULEMEYER ET AL 2,085,353

CONVEYANCE FOR TRANSPORTING RAILWAY CARS AND THE LIKE BY ROAD Filed June 9, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet l /NVENTOR6' (701mm (Zia/Mye lid/ airy fade.

ATTORNEY. M4

June 29, 1937. J. CULEMEYER El AL 2,085,353

CONVEYANCE FOR TRANSPORTING RAILWAY CARS AND THE LIKE BY ROAD Filed June 9, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 701/ my Z0676 ATTORNEY.

June 29, 1937- J. CULEMEYER ET AL 2,085,353

CONVEYANCE FOR TRANSPORTING RAILWAY CARS AND THE LIKE BY ROAD Filed June 9, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS.

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ATTORNEY. 1

June 29, 1937. J. CULEMEYER ET AL 2,085,353

CONVEYANCE FOR TRANSPORTING RAILWAY CARS AND THE LIKE BY ROAD Filed June 9, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 'NVENTORS Wire/m t'al meyer Walfyan jade ATTORNEY.

20 of the car.

Patented June 29, 1937 UNiTED STATES FATE 1' QFFIQE CONVEYANCE FOR TRANSPORTING RAIL- WAY CABS AND THE LIKE BY RQAD Application June 9, 1934, Serial No. 729,920 In Germany June 9, 1938 3 Claims.

some reasons the best form of trailer is one having a forwardly extending platform or bridge resting on a rotatable saddle or swivel seat on the tractor, as by this means additional load is placed on the tractor, causing the wheels thereof to obtain a sufficient grip on the road, though the tractor itself may be comparatively light. A defect of such tractor and trailer combinations, as heretofore constructed, is that the front wheels of the railway car cannot be brought sufliciently :5 far forwards to place the load well over the rear wheels of the tractor. This is due to the fact that the front part of the platform or bridge referred to has an upward bend, to enable it to rest on the swivel seat, and this bend limits the forward run Of course it would be possible to raise the level of the platform throughout, so that no upward bend is required in front, but then the car would be so elevated that in many cases it could not pass under bridges or through tunnels, and

the center of gravity would be too far above the ground.

According to our invention the platform or bridge of the trailer is carried forwards to the rear wheels of the tractor, but its general level is nevertheless kept low.

Embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings.

Figs. 1 to 3 show one embodiment, Fig. 1 being an elevation of a tractor and a trailer with a railway vehicle thereon, partly broken away,

and Fig. 2 being a plan view of the tractor and trailer. Fig. 3 shows part of one of the trailer axles, with a wheel and part of the platform, to alarger scale. E Q

Fig. 4 is a plan view showing a method of mounting two side wheels of a tractor.

Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively a side view and a plan view, illustrating another method of mounting the tractor wheels.

Fig. 7 is a sectional side view showing one form of coupling between the tractor and trailer, and Figs. 8 and 9 are plan views to a larger scale, showing detailsv thereof.

Figs. 10 and 11 are plan views showing another form of coupling.

Figs. 12 to 14 show another form of coupling, Fig. 12 being a side view and Figs. 13 and 14 being plan views to a larger scale.

Referring first to the composite conveyance shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the railway car a,

stands in the channels of longitudinal members b of the platform or bridge of the trailer, the members being of U-section. The rear axle of the car is over the wheels 0 of the trailer, and the front axle is over the rear wheels of, e of the tractor s. The trailer wheels 0 are carried by stub axles f pivoted to transverse members 11 of the bridge, and are connected to each other by springs g and balance levers It so that the load is evenly distributed on them.

At each side of the rear part of the tractor there are three wheels, namely two wheels d side by side and a wheel e running in the track of the outer wheel :1. The wheels e are carried by stub axles and the groups of wheels d are cap-able of swinging in the direction of travel. The two wheels d belonging toeach group are connected to each other by a balance lever, and at its fulcrum this lever is connected to a spring 2' connected to the stub axle of the wheel e. A transverse member Ic of the tractor under frame rests on the spring 2'. The wheels d are .driven by the tractor engine, by vmeans of three differential gears A. Transmission from the outside differential gears A to the wheels may be by means of chain and sprocket gearing or toothed gearing, the gear being in gear cases A pivoted upon the driving shafts A The swivel seat for supporting the bridge .1) on the tractor s is a rotatable disk T, which may rest on ball or roller bearings, but alternatively there may be a plain pivot with a flat supporting surface around it, or a dished seat for engaging a spherical boss on the trailer.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4 the three rear wheels at each side of the tractor are carried by a frame or spider o= engaged with guides 0 which prevent wabble of the wheels. The spring i is fixed to the spider at the center of gravity of the wheel system.

In the modification shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the two wheels (Z side by side are connected by a balance lever m, and a cantilever wheel i connects this lever to the stub axle of the spring e, so that there are several pivotal connections through which the wheels take the load. A member if fixed to the under frame of the tractor rests on the springs this member 15 being arched over the wheels d and having inverted cups Z whereby it rests on rounded bosses on the springs. These cups and bosses are so placed that the load is evenly distributed on the wheels.

Figs. 7, 8 and 9 show a construction of the swivel seat in which there is a step bearing 10 separate from the pivot bearing u. The bearing p is arcuate, conforming to a segment of a circle having its center at the axis of the pivot u, and at the front end of the trailer bridge there are two projections q, which rest on the bearing p, and can slide thereon.

Fig. 9 shows a coupling on the trailer, for automatically engaging the pivot. As shown in Fig. 7 the trailer has a retractable wheel 0 near the front end of its bridge, for supporting the same till the coupling is engaged. The wheel is carried by a lever 0 which can be rocked by means of a screw spindle c and swivel nut c for lifting the wheel.

For engaging the coupling the tractor is backed on to the trailer. The pivot u enters the gap between the two projections q and forces apart two pivoted jaws o thrust towards each other by springs 12 which cause the jaws to grip the pivot when the pivot lies between two arcuate portions thereof. The jaws are then locked by means of a shackle v The opening of the jaws is effected by a spin dle a: which is rotated by a hand wheel m and has a right and left hand thread engaging with nuts y slidable in the forked ends of arms 3 revoluble on the pivot pins 3 of the jaws 22. Turning the spindle in one direction causes the arms 2 to swing inwards so that they engage extensions y on the jaw members and thereby open the latter.

Figs. 10 and 11 show a modification in. which a coupling device similar to that shown in Fig. 9 is provided on the tractor, behind the step bearing, the pivot 11. being in this case of course on the trailer. The part q of the trailer, resting on the step bearing, need not in. this case have a gap for passage of the pivot. The pivot u on the trailer is on the underside of the trailer platform, and is consequently not in view when the coupling is being made, for which reason the construction shown in Figs. '7, 8 and 9 is generally to be preferred.

Figs. 12, 13 and 14 show a modifioationin which the tractor has upon, it a member 1: rotatable about the pivot a and slidable upon the step bearing 10 with which it is engaged by means of a bracket 10 The part resting on the step bearing is in the form of a trough to, into which a ridge w on a projection Q3 of the trailer fits. The member as has lateral flanges y between which the part (1 lies. For locking the part q upon the member a: the ridge w has a bore containing a spring a and two pins .2 which project from its ends. When the part q is pushed between the flanges y these pins are thrust inwards till they face recesses e in the flanges, into which they engage. Studs on the pins are engaged with slots in bell crank levers .2 which can be rocked by means of a cord for disengaging the pins from the recesses 2 What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States 1. In a composite road vehicle the combination of a trailer having road wheels and a platform between said wheels below the level of the tops thereof, and a tractor having trailing wheels and a swivel seat supported below the tops of said Wheels and adapted to connect the trailer to the tractor whereby the front end of said platform is supported between said trailing wheels below the tops thereof.

2. A composite road vehicle for transporting railway cars, comprising a tractor having rear wheels, a railway car carrying platform, road wheels supporting said platform at a zone beneath the rear wheels of the railway car supported thereon, and a swivel seat onv said tractor between the tractor rear wheels and below the level ofthe tops thereof, adapted to connect the front end of said platform to said tractor so that the front wheels of the car carried by the platform are directly over a zone supported by the rear wheels of said tractor.

3. A composite road vehicle for transporting A 

